Symbolism in literature is the hidden meaning in a piece of work. It is used to represent moral and/ or religious values and beliefs. As time goes on in the world, society and what makes up society changes. In today’s sense, pride is based on the individualism that one has developed. The diversity in today’s society allows for many different beliefs and social concepts. Looking back to the early years when Puritanism was an ongoing religion with many followers, tradition along with strict biblical standards were everything; but now many things have changed. The reality of change is seen in the book, The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorn whereby as society changes so to does the perception of all symbolism. The metaphorical meaning of the scarlet letter changes from this symbol of shame to a powerful symbol of identity to Hester; the transformation shows the changes Hester experiences in her life. These changes bring Hester power, power to stand for who she is, power to overcome the humiliation and pain. She then finds herself able, able of becoming herself, to become a representation of an individual with a strong sense of self-empowerment. The symbolism behind the scarlet letter changes throughout the novel. Initially the letter symbolizes the sin of adultery, the crime, the punishment, the humiliation that Hester has to endure because of the strict beliefs of the puritan society. This uncivil punishment causes Hester this “dreadful agony in feeling a human eye upon the token; the spot never grew callous; it seemed, on the contrary, to grow more sensitive with daily torture." (Hawthorne, 74) At the beginning of the novel the A causes Hester much “dreadful agony” and “torture.” It causes her torture to live with this permanent mark of sin on her. The A is the symbol of her pure “agony” and suffering. A change of heart comes; Hester alters its meaning through the hard work she does in the town. Society begins to recognize that the...

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...Several international organizations have commented on various methods of execution, condoning them or calling for more humane treatment where the death penalty is used. The Safeguards Guaranteeing Protection of the Rights of Those Facing the Death Penalty provides that “where capital punishment occurs, it shall be carried out so as to inflict the minimum possible suffering.” Moreover, in its General Comment 20, the Committee recognized that when the death penalty is imposed, it must be carried out in a manner to cause “the least possible physical and mental suffering.” Nonetheless, human rights bodies have generally avoided deciding whether specific methods of execution constitute cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment. One exception is the Human Rights Committee, which held in Ng v. Canada, Communication No. 469/1991, para. 16.4, that execution by gas asphyxiation amounted to cruel and inhuman treatment. The United Nations Human Rights Commission also noted that execution by stoning was a “particularly cruel or inhuman means of execution” (Resolution 2005/29: The Question of the Death Penalty, para. 7(i)).
Many commentators have pointed out that mental and physical suffering are an unavoidable consequence of the death penalty. In their view, all punishments involve a certain degree of pain and suffering, and for that reason it cannot be said that all methods of execution violate international human rights norms. In the Ng case, the Human Rights...

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This symbol reminds those handling the package to keep out of the rain and not to store it in damp conditions. It is normally found on card based packages which would be damaged if placed in contact with water.
The broken wine glass suggests that the product inside the packaging could be easily damaged if dropped or handled without care and attention. The contents are fragile!
The two hands holding or protecting the package is another reminder that the contents should be handled with care.
The symbol seen opposite tells those handling the package that it must be stored the right way up. The arrows point towards the top of the package.
The symbol showing the thermometer is found mainly on packages containing food and drink. The symbol clearly shows that the contents should be stored at a temperature between 10 and 20 degrees (centigrade).
The telephone attached to the letter ‘Q’ means that if you are not happy with the quality of the product/package contents, you can ring a customer services number. This is normally placed very close to the symbol.
Customer satisfaction symbol. Seen on some packaging to indicate a satisfaction statement e.g. “This product has been prepared for your enjoyment. If you are not completely satisfied please return the product and its packaging to ......”
The vegetarian symbol has a ‘tick’ in its centre. This means that...

...http://www.fortbend.k12.tx.us/campuses/documents/Teacher/2009%5Cteacher_20090410_1726.pdf
“SHAME”
"Shame” is defined as a painful feeling caused by a sense of guilt, shortcoming, impropriety; dishonor or disgrace. This painful emotion can come from either external sources such as the people around us or from internal sources such as our conscience. In the story "Shame," author Dick Gregory describes his experiences with both externally and internally motivated shame. The shame Dick Gregory experiences as a young child was externally motivated shame. Before the incident at Gregory's school, he was innocent and unaware of social differences. He knew he was poor, but he was not really aware how different he was compared to his peers. “I never learned hate at home, or shame. I had to go to school for that.
His innocence was replaced by a sense of shame when his teacher humiliated him in front of his class and peers. She disgraced him by pointing out his poverty and his lack of a father, causing him to feel shame for the first time."
http://www.faulkner.edu/admin/websites/cwarmack/koch.pdf
"Death and Justice"
I agree with the writer, "Death and Justice", it is very effective at proving how the death penalty ensures to protect the lives of innocent people and justifying the actions made by murderers. In Koch's essay, he describes how the...

...﻿ Shame
Reading comprehension
1. A
2. D
3. B
4. A
5. C
6. True
7. A
8. B
9. B
10. B
Critical reading and discussion
1. Gregory means by these two statements that although his home life was one of poverty and want ,his home was not a place to learn shame and hatred .But at school ,which should be a positive environment ,he learned these inhumane values .the ironic statements interests the reader to want to know more about what Gregory means.
2. Gregory seems to be sad that the teacher did not ask why he misbehaved and was a troublemaker in class and that she assumed he was stupid , But he also wanted her approval badly as shown when he got a big thrill out of being chosen to clean the blackboard .while I was reading I felt that the teacher was heartless and immoral and she shouldn’t be teaching ,she could have merely thanked Gregory in class and then spoken to him privately later if she thought he could contribute it.
3. Paragraph 3 :we can conclude that he learned to boost his self- esteem through his own efforts paragraph 5:we can conclude that kids who are poor and hungry feel invisible so that makes them behave in ways so that to attract attention and we conclude from the wino story that he learned that in order to feel good about himself, he would have to defend others who were ashamed from themselves .
4. Gregory may have many reasons for...

...In Nathaniel Hawthorne's, The Scarlet Letter, Pearl, is the human symbol of the sin of adultery in the fact that she leads her mother, Hester Prynne, and Arthur Dimmesdale to accept and admit to their sin. Pearl is the beautiful daughter of Hester and Dimmesdale. She is the living symbol of the scarlet letter and has unique traits that make her sometimes appear as a demon. Her love for nature and freedom, her spirit, her wildness, her loneliness and separation from the world, her curiosity, and her innocent but symbolic comments reveal her distinct personality. Pearl senses and knows things she should not, making her a symbol. Pearl is also the living symbol of Hester and Dimmesdale's connection, as displayed in the following passage.
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<br>"In her was visible the tie that united them. She had been offered to the world, these seven years past, as the living hieroglyphic, in which was revealed the secret they so darkly sought to hide, -- all written in this symbol, -- all plainly manifest, -- had there been a prophet or magician skilled to read the character of flame! And Pearl was the oneness of their being"(Hawthorne 141). Pearl is a beautiful, misbehaved child. The first thing that Pearl ever notices is her mother's A' across her chest. As a child, Pearl throws rocks at the scarlet letter, making a game out it. Growing up, Pearl is not accepted by anyone. She screams at other children, knowing...

...Good Luck Symbols
Many of us believe in carrying good luck symbols or charms with us, so that we are successful in our task. The article enlists some of the popular symbols that are believed to bring good luck.
Being lucky or unlucky is merely a mind game and the definition of luck may change from person to person. It is just a belief whether you consider a particular incidence to be a good fortune or bad. A good luck symbol is nothing but an event or object that is believed to bring good luck. It can be anything, right from a geometrical figure like swastika to part of a tree like acorn. Each of these symbols has some interesting history behind its origin. Four-Leaf Clover
A four leaved clover is rarely seen and hence, is considered as a good luck symbol. It is believed that finding such a clover leaf bring lots of luck. Each leaflet of such clover leaf is said to represent a unique sign. The first leaflet is for faith, the second for hope, the third represents love, while the fourth one stands for luck. In Irish culture, the 3 leaved clover, also called "Shamrock", was used to represent the Holy Trinity, by Saint Patrick. One leaflet is for Father, one for son and the third for the Holy Spirit. And when a Shamrock bears fourth leaflet, it represents God's grace. Some people like to carry this symbol with them in the form of a tattoo.
Horseshoe
Horseshoe is one of the...

...thousands of years.
“Are you alright?” Asreen said waking up suddenly. I realised that I accidentally dropped my glass on the wooden floor breaking it into pieces. “Why can’t I live like any other sixteen year old girls? Why can’t I have boy-friends like girls from my school?” she cried while cleaning up broken pieces of glass.
It was close to two, I was so exhausted I could barely feel any strength in my legs. I could hear Asreen’s voice slowly fading away. With my eyes closed I tried to seek explanation for such acts against own daughter.
The issue of status of women is always in question in a patriarchal society. For thousands of years people from Indian sub-continent had considered daughter a painful burden, a potential source of shame to her father. Family is vital principal group and marriage hallowed as sacred. Women are deprived of their freedom and those who rebel or go against the norms faces threat the people of the community so much so that they are even killed for honour. …perhaps this comes out as it makes it like a newspaper article, not a narrative.
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